


When Mommy's Away

by Pineprin137



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bunker Life, F/M, Family Fluff, I went a little overboard..., Nostalgia, Retired Hunter Dean Winchester, Retired Hunter Sam Winchester, Road Trips, Sam has daughters with Eileen, The Impala (Supernatural), Uncle Dean Winchester, big time, day trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 16:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18877345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineprin137/pseuds/Pineprin137
Summary: Sam and Uncle Dean take the girls to the lake while Eileen is away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Eileen is still alive in this fic. She and Sam got married and live at the bunker with their two daughters and Dean. They all retired from hunting, but giving it up totally is hard so they still help out occasionally.  
> Evie is around 5-6 months old and Liana is four. 
> 
> This is just something fun to try and experiment with Sam as my main character. I usually go for Dean, but I enjoyed showing Sammy's side for once. Don't hold your breath for more Sam though, I still find Dean easier to write.
> 
> I always liked Eileen for Sam. MUCH better than a certain woman from Season 8 that I won't mention...
> 
> I tried to include more brother/family feels in this one. Hope you enjoy!

Sam cursed the invention of snaps as he struggled with the onesie he was attempting to put on his daughter. He had tried to convince Eileen to buy the ones with zippers, but the boutique where she shopped in town only used buttons or snaps. And there was no way he was going to attempt buttons with his large fingers. The baby smiled and giggled at his frustrated face. “No wiggling, Evie. Please stay still for Daddy?” She looked at him and brought her foot to her mouth. “Oh, no. We don’t eat our feet. C’mon sweetheart. Just hold still for a few more minutes.” He returned to the last two stubborn closures while she stuck her foot right back in her mouth. He sighed. Oh well. 

“Geez, kid. Hasn’t your daddy been feeding you?” Sam turned towards Dean and handed the baby over to his brother’s outstretched arms. Dean made cooing noises at her and blew a raspberry on her half dressed belly.  “Go find the other one, I got her.” 

Sam rolled his eyes and walked out of the nursery. He stooped to pick up a few wayward toys in the hall and then entered the girls’ room. Currently, only Liana slept in this room, but when Evie was a little older they would move her in as well. There were plenty of rooms in the bunker, but Sam liked the idea of siblings being together. He was always happiest when he shared a room with Dean and because Eileen was an only child, she deferred to him when it came to sibling stuff. 

“Lia? You ready to go?” Sam peered around the room but didn’t see his eldest daughter anywhere in the mountain of stuffed animals and various princess items filling the room. “Liana? This is not the time for hide-and-seek.” He checked the closet, looked under the bed, and even dug through the pile of soft toys, but she wasn’t there. Panic started to bubble in his gut as he quickly made his way down the hall. She wasn’t in the kitchen or in the library. He checked the craft zone, formerly known as the War Room, and even popped his head into Dean’s man cave. Nothing. His heart raced and his palms grew sweaty. He looked up the stairs, but the baby gate was still secure so she couldn’t have gone that way. Dean came out of the nursery holding a fully-dressed Evelin just as Sam sprinted past him back towards the bathroom and the bedrooms. “Sammy?” Sam ignored his brother and slammed the door to the shower room open. No four-year-olds. He spun around and checked the stalls, but none were occupied. 

Dean bounced his niece in his arms as he followed after his brother. When she whimpered, he realized that her blanket was missing. He figured Sam would call if he needed him so he turned and walked into Sam and Eileen’s bedroom. He beelined for the bassinet next to the bed and grabbed the soft pink blanket. He handed it to Evie and she immediately stuck it in her mouth so she could suck on one corner. He smiled and shook his head then paused when he heard a noise. He searched the room until he landed on a brown head of hair in the rocking chair. “Lia? Sweetie, what are you doing in here, huh?” He squatted down in front of her and laid a hand gently on her leg above what looked like a scraped knee. “What’s wrong, ladybug?” The little girl sniffled and then wrapped both of her arms around his neck. Okay. Guess he was just going to have to grit his teeth against the pain and carry them both. He wrapped his free hand around Liana and lifted her up, grimaced for a moment at the twinge in his bad knee, then adjusted his nieces so the weight was somewhat balanced, and went to find his brother. 

“I bet Daddy can make it better.” Sam had been on his way to the garage but turned around at the sound of Dean’s voice. The panic started to dissipate when he saw Liana tucked against Dean. When he got closer, however, he heard her sniffling and frowned at his brother. “Hey, don’t look at me. She was like this when I found her.” Sam walked up to them and settled a hand on his little girl’s back. As soon as his hand touched her, she let go of Dean and grabbed for him. “Hey, baby girl. What’s wrong? Hm? Why the tears?” He shushed her and stroked her hair as he walked towards the living room. Dean followed with Evie asleep against his shoulder. 

 

“I want mommy.” Sam sat down on the couch with Liana on his lap and wiped her tears with his thumb. Dean gestured to her injury then offered a sympathetic look and headed towards the kitchen to prepare lunch. Sam held his little girl close and wished his wife was here. “She’ll be back soon, sweetheart.” He assessed the scrape and found it wasn’t too bad. She probably tripped while getting ready for their outing to the lake. He walked back towards the bathroom with her on his hip to clean her up. 

“Where’d she go?” Liana turned big brown teary eyes up at him and his heart broke. 

“She had to help a friend.” A friend. That wasn’t exactly the truth. In reality, he and Eileen had retired from hunting after they got married. Dean was officially retired as well, but he couldn’t stop completely so he helped out from time to time if someone needed backup. About a week ago a contact of Dean’s called to say that they caught the trail of a banshee and could use a little assistance in finding a gold blade. They had several weapons in the bunker that they loaned out so it was no big deal. But when Eileen heard it was a banshee, she insisted on delivering it to the guy in person. Dean had offered to take it instead, but she refused. She and Sam had spent the entire week before she left arguing about whether or not she should go. 

“Oh. When’s she gonna be back?” Sam donned his poker face and smiled down at his daughter. “She’ll be back soon. Don’t worry. But until then...we have a lake to get to! So how about we get your owie fixed up?” He set her on the countertop and then gathered supplies. She didn’t move while he cleaned it with alcohol and then applied ointment to the scrape, but she did whimper. He laid a waterproof band-aid over it and then clapped his hands together.  “It’s okay, baby. All done!” He tickled her sides until she laughed then stood up and offered his hand to her. “Let’s go get your swimsuit on while Uncle Dean and Evie finish preparing our picnic lunch and then we can go.” Liana hopped down and trailed behind him until they made it back to her bedroom. 

Once she was dressed in proper swimming attire, he carried her out to the garage where Dean was setting the picnic basket on the backseat between the car seats. “Did Daddy fix you up, Ladybug?” Liana nodded and slipped down from Sam’s arms so she could crawl into the Impala. Dean buckled her in while Sam combed his fingers through Evie’s thick dark hair. It still amazed him that the two little girls sitting in his brother’s car were actually his. He had daughters...and a wife. He had dreamed about having a family but always knew in the back of his mind that it probably wouldn’t happen. Then he found Jess and got a taste of what it could be like. But Eileen was somehow better suited than Jess. His wife knew about monsters and all the things he had been through. She understood how hard it was to give up the life

“Okay! All buckled and we are ready to go!” He gave Dean an amused smile and shook his head. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Liana! Come on, sweetheart it’s time to go!” Sam laughed when his eldest daughter pouted and asked for five more minutes. “We’ve been here the whole afternoon, Lia. It’s time to get back home. Besides, I think your sister is ready for a nap.” He smiled down at the sleeping baby in the carrier and then looked back to Liana. She grudgingly left the water and allowed Dean to wrap her in a towel before he picked her up and slung her upside down over his shoulder.

“Heehee! Uncle Dean! Put me down!” She laughed as Dean bounced a little and walked back towards the picnic table.

Sam laughed at his brother’s antics and pulled the little girl free so he could rub a towel through her wet hair. Dean smiled at him and then grabbed the cooler and beach bag to load up the car. “Can we come back tomorrow?” Sam looked down at Liana and quirked an eyebrow. “You want to come back? I thought you said the lake was yucky.” She gave an exaggerated sigh and shook her head. “That was this _morning_. Now I want to go swimming every day!” He chuckled over her head before facing her with a mock serious expression. “Of course. My mistake.” She nodded her small head in satisfaction. “Unfortunately, Daddy and Uncle Dean have to work tomorrow. But maybe we can try and come later in the week after Mommy gets home.” Dean walked up and sat on the bench seat behind his niece and took over toweling so Sam could get Evie settled in the car. Sam avoided looking at Liana’s face as he walked away. He knew that she would be upset and it was so hard to stay firm with ‘no’ when the puppy dog eyes he was famous for were staring back at him in her small face.

 

The girls slept while they drove home and Sam enjoyed the quiet. It always felt right sitting next to his brother in the Impala. It reminded him of long drives between hunts along old back roads, Dean and he arguing over where to stop for food or trying to get the other to snort some fizzy drink out of their nose from laughing too hard. It was different now, though. Dean was calmer, not so aggressive and less impatient. Sam was usually too busy taking care of his girls to mess around with his big brother. They had grown up so much, especially in the last few years. 

Sam glanced at his brother’s profile framed by the setting sun behind him and hoped he was happy. It couldn’t be easy living in a giant underground bunker with his kid brother and his wife and kids. Giving up the only thing he thought he was good at when his knee got busted about five years ago. Sam had been worried when Dean sunk into a dark place after hearing the doctor’s verdict. Dean had stayed in bed for weeks. Ignoring Sam and even calls from other hunters. The thing that brought him out of it? Learning he was going to be an uncle. The switch had been instant. His brother had made it his mission to prepare the bunker was Sam and Eileen’s little one. While Sam was worrying over Eileen and impending fatherhood, Dean had single-handedly laid carpet down in three-fourths of the bunker, installed baby gates, cataloged and stored all of their weapons, and built the furniture in the nursery.

Sam chuckled softly under his breath at the memory of the three of them freaking out when Eileen’s water broke. They were hunters through-and-through. Give them a wendigo or a werewolf pack and they knew exactly what to do. But watching Eileen go through labor and then deliver his girls? Sam was a wreck and Dean was torn between stepping up to be there for Sam’s wife or snapping his brother out of it.

“What are you laughing at over there?” Sam faced his brother and chuckled. “Oh, nothing. Just Eileen in labor. God, we were a mess!”

Dean scoffed, “Speak for yourself, Sasquatch. I was the picture of poise.”

“You almost hurled when she leaked amniotic fluid on the seat.”

“Jesus! Do you have to say it like... _that_?” A full body shudder ran through Dean.

“That’s what it is, Dean. It’s the fluid found in--” his brother raised a hand to stop him, “ It’s a medical term. Besides, it wasn’t even that much. Maybe a cup full.”

Dean turns to him with a grimace.“Dude. It was baby goo. In my car.” Dean shudders once more then returns his gaze to the empty highway. He couldn’t exactly argue with his brother’s aversion to what happened. Eileen’s labor hadn’t been easy on him either. She had been violently sick all over Sam while he was helping her to the bathroom and had pulled his hair and punched him several times while panting through contractions.

“Daddy?” Sam turned around to face his daughter who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and squirming in her seat.

“Yeah, ladybug?”

“Are we almost home?”

“We’ll be there soon, baby.” He caught his brother’s frown out of the corner of his eye.

Dean glanced at the rearview mirror. “Lia, sweetheart? You're wiggling an awful lot back there. Do you need to go potty?” Sam saw the blush crawl up her cheeks and she nodded. Crap. They still had at least half an hour left before they got home and there were only two rest stops on this road. The one near the lake exit and the one they just passed about fifteen minutes ago.

“Do you think you can hold it?” Liana shook her head while remaining quiet and avoiding Sam’s face. “Okay, baby. Just hold on a second, okay?” He sighed and addressed his brother. “You think we could make a pit stop?”

“We just passed the second rest stop, Sammy. There’s nowhere for her to go.”

“I know, Dean. Just, I don’t think she can make it. So could you just, pull over, please?” Dean nodded and then eased the Impala onto the dirt shoulder. Liana was already trying to undo her buckle in the back even as Sam opened up his door and went around to help her. She hopped down as soon as she was free and started bouncing. He grabbed her hand and led her to the passenger side of the car and then opened up the rear door so she was blocked from view. He crouched down to her level and pushed a strand of hair from her face. “Look, baby. No one can see you and Dean and I will turn around. This is all we can do since we already passed the rest stops. Okay, ladybug?” She nodded and reached for the waistband on her stretchy pink shorts. Sam stood up and turned around and knew without looking that Dean was humming to himself while staring out his window.

Once she finished, Sam reached under his seat and grabbed the package of wipes to give her one. After cleanup and kicking a bit of dirt to cover up the evidence at her insistence, they got back in and Dean pulled back onto the road. Now that Liana’s bladder was empty and she had napped, she was a chatterbox. She asked him about the trees and the funny looking grass. She asked Uncle Dean why there were so many cows and only two horsies. She wanted to know why they only stayed on this side when the road was so big. She worried about her sister and how much she slept. Dean flicked his eyes to the mirror to see his curious niece swing her legs as she watched the green fields pass by. He then glanced to his right and saw Sam dozing with his head propped on his hand. He returned his gaze to the girls and shared a smile with Liana when she saw him looking.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally home, Sam puts everyone to bed.

After about two hundred questions Liana had finally fallen back asleep. Unfortunately, the silence in the car forced Dean to realize just how tired he was after keeping up with her all day. He had been fighting to keep his eyes open for the last twenty miles while everyone else slept. Since it was late July he couldn't even rely on a cool breeze to wake him up so instead, he sipped at a can of Mountain Dew and quietly hummed Zeppelin. It wasn't until after seven that Dean finally pulled Baby into the garage and gently shook his brother to wake him up.

Sam stretched and checked on the girls while Dean yawned and rubbed a hand down his face. “She fell asleep about ten minutes ago.” Dean stopped to yawn again before continuing, “I’ll get the bags. Go tuck your girls in.” Sam smiled at his daughters for a few moments before he heard a soft snore coming from his left. He chuckled softly at his sleeping brother and then went around to get the girls out. He carried Evie in first and set the carrier on the kitchen table before going to get Liana. She wrapped her arms around his neck but didn’t open her eyes. He grabbed the carrier and made his way to his and Eileen’s bedroom. Sam laid Liana on Eileen’s side of the bed and then carefully transferred his youngest from the carrier to the bassinet. He covered her with her favorite blanket and then draped the covers over the toddler on the bed after removing her shoes. He lingered at the door for a moment before closing it most of the way and going to help Dean.

The garage door was locked and the bags on the table when he got back so he walked to his brother’s room. Dean was sprawled on the bed still fully dressed. Sam shook his head and quietly removed Dean’s jean shorts and flip flops before sliding a pillow under his head and heading back to his own bed. He removed his khaki shorts and plaid overshirt before lying down next to his sleeping daughter. He lifted his arm so she could snuggle against him and smiled when her small hand curled into his t-shirt. Sam allowed himself a few minutes to bask in the glow of fatherhood before he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short but it didn't feel right just cramming it in at the end of the last one.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Family Has Your Back, Especially When It Hurts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20111197) by [Pineprin137](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineprin137/pseuds/Pineprin137)




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